Ignaz Pleyel was a very highly regarded, prolific composer in his day. String quartets were one of his specialties (he wrote between 60 and 70 depending on your source), a genre that sparked his interest while first a student of Vanhal, and then blossomed shortly after he became one of Haydn’s star pupils in 1772. While very few of Pleyel’s quartets are performed today, let alone recorded, his 12 “Prussian” quartets were regarded by his contemporaries as among his most inspired and accomplished. Three of these receive their CD premiere performances here by the Pleyel Quartett Köln.

Pleyel’s expertise is evident from the outset. The opening Allegro con spirito movement of the Quartet in C major begins unassumingly enough with a brief slow, stately march that soon evolves into a series of creative, often unpredictable variations. The inner Romance cantabile movement of the Quartet in A is equally fascinating, with its broadly paced, intensely slow legato, at times pausing demurely (that stunning five-second silence at 3:40 is especially sly) to wonderful effect. Throughout the program Pleyel’s craftsmanship and stylish invention are always apparent, and I can’t imagine anyone interested in chamber music of this period not enjoying this offering.

CPO’s sound is excellent, with richly detailed instrumentation in a very life-like, convincing acoustic setting. This is the Pleyel Quartett Köln’s second installment (they’ve previously recorded Quartets 7-9 for CPO) in what promises to be a complete cycle of Pleyel’s “Prussian” quartets. If so, we have much to look forward to.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )

Great PerformanceJanuary 12, 2014By Henry S. (Springfield, VA)See All My Reviews"Austrian composer Ignaz Pleyel, a student of Haydn, wrote a large number of string quartets, among which is a series of four groups of 3 quartets each, dedicated to the King of Prussia (hence the name of these quartets). This CPO disk contains quartets # 4,5, and 6 from the Prussian series, all of them given a superb reading by the excellent Pleyel Quartet of Cologne, Germany. Pleyel's style has noticeable similarities to that of Haydn, which is not surprising, given Haydn's mentorship. Yet there are substantial areas of individualism here in what I would call fresh, optimistic, and thoroughly melodious classical era quartets. The Pleyel Quartet's playing is simply outstanding, with the instrumental balance and intimate interpretive understanding that comes from great teamwork and intimate knowledge of the scores. As usual, CPO's sonic qualities are unbeatable, giving us a recording that sparkles with musicianship of a very high standard. I highly recommend this recording to anyone who is interested in exploring lesser known classical era chamber music."Report Abuse

Sign up now for two weeks of free access to the world's best classical music collection. Keep listening for only $19.95/month - thousands of classical albums for the price of one! Learn more about ArkivMusic Streaming